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Authors Posts by Melissa Dehoff

Melissa Dehoff

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Melissa Dehoff is responsible for all medical rehabilitation and brain injury service issues. Ms. Dehoff attends multiple state-level meetings to advocate on behalf of members on brain injury and rehabilitation issues and is a member of the Department of Health Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Board.

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The National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) will be offering a free webinar that will focus on Brain Injury Resource Facilitation (BIRF) and the new Moody Implementation Guide. This free webinar will be conducted on May 6, 2026, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm.

Brain Injury Resource Facilitation is a structured intervention that connects individuals with brain injury to essential resources to enhance independence and improve outcomes, using a flexible, person-centered approach. It involves needs assessment, resource navigation/service connection, and progress monitoring to identify a person’s strengths and challenges to set goals and coordinate supports. BIRF is an effective intervention for academic, employment, and community success.

This webinar will include a discussion of BIRF and the new Resource Facilitation Implementation Guide, geared towards addressing these challenges and providing a map to follow for best practice in this area. Funded by the Moody Endowment and created collaboratively through NASHIA, this guide will be a current and future tool for consistent service delivery and data collection/utilization for rationale to sustain these supports.

To participate in this webinar, registration is required.

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On February 28, 2026, the Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) published a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin announcing a change in the fee schedule rates in the OBRA Waiver and the Act 150 Program for Participant-Directed Personal Assistance Services (PAS) procedure codes W1792 and W1792 TU. This fee schedule rate change is effective January 1, 2026. A revised fee schedule is available here.

Written comments regarding these fee schedule rates can be sent to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, P.O. Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025. Comments can also be submitted via email. Comments received within the 30-day comment period will be considered in subsequent revisions to the fee schedule.

OLTL previously issued a listserv on December 19, 2025, confirming the Fiscal Year 2025/26 budget, signed into law on November 12, 2025, which included a $21 million investment to strengthen the workforce through increased wages for direct care workers (DCW) providing services in the Participant-Directed model for OLTL Fee-for-Service programs.

To support the January 1, 2026, effective date, OLTL updated the PROMISe™ system and the Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS) with the revised rates. Service Coordinators (SC) did not need to make any service plan updates for the rate change, as a HCSIS system-wide update was implemented to make the necessary service data rate updates to the affected service plans.

SCs are encouraged to reach out to OBRA Waiver and Act 150 Program participants that utilize Participant-Directed PAS to ensure they are aware of the rate change and that their DCWs may receive increases in their pay rates.

SCs may also receive specific questions from OBRA Waiver and Act 150 Program participants that utilize Participant-Directed PAS supported by Financial Management Services (FMS) through the FMS vendor Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL). SCs should refer participants to the PPL Customer Service hotline at 877-908-1750 for specific questions about how the rate increase in the OBRA Waiver and Act 150 Program will impact the pay of their DCWs.

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From RCPA member Beechwood NeuroRehab:

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness, share knowledge, and support those affected by brain injuries. In recognition of this important month, we invite you to join the Beechwood clinical team for a special Zoom presentation, “Bridging the Gap to Independence.”

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Brain injuries affect millions of individuals and families each year. These injuries can be caused by falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports impacts, medical conditions, or other traumatic events. While some effects are visible, many survivors live with invisible challenges such as cognitive changes, fatigue, memory issues, and emotional impacts. In this presentation, the clinical team will share how Beechwood can help participants navigate around many of the challenges associated with having sustained an acquired brain injury, discuss their specialties, and talk about how they help participants become as independent as possible.

Join the Zoom Presentation

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the calendar year (CY) 2026 KX modifier threshold amounts for therapy services.

The CY 2026 KX modifier threshold amount is $2,480 for:

  • Physical therapy and speech-language pathology services combined; and
  • Occupational therapy services.

Additional information on this topic is provided below:

Therapy Services web page, including CY 2026:

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has released the agenda and call information for the March 11, 2026, Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting. This meeting will be held via webinar/remote streaming only from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Some of the agenda topics include an update from OLTL, presentations from the Community HealthChoices Managed Care Organizations (CHC-MCO) on assisted living in lieu of services option, and personal assistance services (PAS) reductions and time allocated to public comments.

Comments and questions for this meeting should be sent via email.

The conference line for the meeting is:
Bridge Number: 1 (562) 247-8321 PIN: 132-269-143#

For additional information about this meeting, visit the LTSS Subcommittee website.

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Novitas Solutions, the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for Pennsylvania, will host a webinar for PA inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) and the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) on February 18, 2026, at 1:00 pm ET. During this webinar, Novitas will provide an overview of the state’s Cycle 3 progress in the IRF RCD thus far, including top reasons for non-affirmations and documentation guidelines. Novitas is also expected to share data on statewide affirmation rates in Cycle 3, which would mark the most recent data available to date on the program.

Registration for the webinar is available here. A recording of the webinar will also be made available on Novitas’s Pennsylvania’s IRF RCD website following the event.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) is making available for public review and comments the Office of Long-Term Living’s (OLTL) proposed amendment for the Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver and the proposed renewal of the OBRA waiver. The proposed amendment of the CHC waiver and renewal of the OBRA waiver will be effective July 1, 2026.

DHS is proposing the following changes to the CHC waiver:

  • Add a teleservice option to the following waiver services:
    • Behavior therapy.
    • Benefits counseling.
  • Add language to specifically address teleservice delivery of waiver services and the Home and Community- Based Settings (HCBS) rule based on sections added to the waiver application.
  • Remove and modify outdated language throughout waiver.

The proposed CHC waiver amendment and a summary of all revisions are available for review here.

Written comments regarding the proposed renewal to OBRA should be sent to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: Keeley Anglin—CHC Waiver Amendment, P.O. Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025. Comments can also be sent via email. Use ”CHC Waiver Amendment” as the subject line. Comments received within 30 days will be considered in subsequent revisions to the proposed amendment.

DHS is proposing the following changes to the OBRA waiver:

  • Add a teleservice option to the following waiver services:
    • Behavior therapy.
    • Benefits counseling.
  • Revise outdated language regarding the OLTL quality improvement strategy and quality monitoring processes.
  • Add language regarding the need for a Service Coordinator to reassess a participant due to a trigger event.
  • Add language to specifically address teleservice delivery of waiver services and the Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) rule based on new sections in the waiver application.
  • Add language to comply with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services Final Rule (Access Rule) to update the complaint process for the fee-for-service waiver and update the timeframe to resolve a complaint from 45 to 60 days due to the additional requirements of the Access Rule.
  • Update OLTL’s goals for unduplicated number of waiver participants who are expected to elect participant direction.
  • Modify performance measures AA-2 and QP-2 and divide SP-5 into three separate performance measures: SP-5 (amount, frequency and duration), SP-9 (type) and SP-10 (scope).
  • Remove and modify outdated language throughout waiver.

The proposed OBRA waiver renewal and a summary of all revisions are available for review here.

Written comments regarding the proposed renewal to OBRA waiver should be sent to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: Keeley Anglin—OBRA Waiver Renewal, P.O. Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025. Comments can also be sent via email. Use ”OBRA Waiver Renewal” as the subject line. Comments received within 30 days will be considered.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) to obtain public feedback on potential approaches to strengthen the American-made supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential medicines. Building on lessons learned during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), CMS is exploring ways to reduce reliance on foreign-made medical supplies and enhance the nation’s readiness for future emergencies while supporting American workers and manufacturers.

The proposed rule requests comments on new avenues CMS may consider promoting domestic purchasing by hospitals that participate in the Medicare program, including the potential creation of a new “Secure American Medical Supplies” designation for hospitals committed to American-made purchasing and streamlined payment approaches to help offset the resource costs of domestic procurement.

Comments on the ANPRM are due by March 30, 2026.

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